John I. Stewart, Jr. is a senior counsel in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, where he has practiced communications, copyright, and technology law since 1975. John serves clients principally within the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications sector of the Intellectual Property and Advertising & Media groups.
John's current practice encompasses intellectual property, internet, and telecommunications matters. He has special experience in the application of intellectual property laws in regulated industries, including the communications and technology sectors. An early participant in the developing law of e-commerce and the internet, John continues to counsel clients on law and technology issues. Besides his work on technology partnerships and licenses, global privacy law compliance, online and conventional publishing agreements, software development agreements, open source licensing programs, and website liability issues, John has litigated over 15 industry-wide cable and satellite copyright royalty cases since 1980. He has also litigated cybersquatting and DMCA safe harbor cases, as well as cutting-edge trademark matters.
Representative Litigation Matters:
- Represented the U.S. commercial television industry in extensive evidentiary hearings to determine the allocation of over $300 million in cable copyright royalties among seven parties. Won significant increase in previous royalty award.
- Filed suit on behalf of copyright owner against website operator for infringement under "red flag" exemption to DMCA immunity. Achieved settlement before trial.
- Pursued multiple trademark oppositions for telecommunications company against registrations of sound marks sought by manufacturer. Achieved landmark victory before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Representative Counseling and Regulatory Matters:
- Led efforts to obtain FCC regulatory approvals covering radio and wireless licenses for two separate multi-step airline mergers.
- Created foundational agreements to acquire and confirm ownership of all necessary intellectual property rights in contributions by government employees and other professionals to definitive reference standards published by a leading professional association.
- Provided strategic counsel and assisted in drafting licenses and governing documents for the creation of a new foundation that will manage the development and global operation of a core Internet resource.
John is a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia, and of the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. John is a member of the Section of Intellectual Property Law of the American Bar Association and the Intellectual Property Section of the D.C. Bar. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America in the area of technology law since 2008. John is peer rated "AV Preeminent" by Martindale-Hubbell. He was a charter member of the Legal Advisory Board of the Copyright Alliance.
John has long provided IP counsel on a pro bono basis to a number of non-profit organizations. He served as an elected member of the firm's Management Board for six years, and served as the firm's first General Counsel until September 2016.
At the University of Chicago Law School, John was topics and comment editor of the Law Review, and won the Wall Street Journal Award in 1974. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. with distinction in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. His undergraduate honors include a Short Story Prize in the Hollins Critic Literary contest. He and his wife, a clinical psychologist, live in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Education
- University of Virginia, B.A. (1971) Phi Beta Kappa
- University of Chicago Law School, J.D. (1975)
Affiliations
Admitted to practice: District of Columbia, U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
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